I really didn't like Death Stranding when I played it originally. I came back 4 years later, trying to see what people liked about the game.

I loved everything Death Stranding was trying to be, but Kojima just didn't connect and polish everything enough for me to give it anything higher than a 4.

The combat was amazing, the true battle sections were colorful and tasteful. The vehicles were a tad janky, but worked great. Map traversal was awesome, but sometimes a little too "old school" with the trial and error. I loved the horror aspects in particular (survival horror is my jam), and the BT sections were awesome.

However, the story just felt a little disjointed. Like Kojima was trying to tell me something, and I guess he did... just didn't draw out what exactly I need to get out of it. The whole sections with Cliff felt a little out of place, and I don't really like how they resolved his arc. Wonderful character though. Which character I loved through and through though- HIGGS. He was amazing. A thorough villain, and not purposefully evil becuase he likes to go mwah ha ha.

Some of the character development was stagnant for a good chunk of the game, and then immediately went into overdrive (Deadman & Die Hardman). I had no real problem with it,,, but I know Kojima can write better than that.

As a PS Exclusive, I'd tell people to try it out. It's a game you'll either love or hate. I mean, it's not the last of us,,, or snake eater. But it's insanely creative, wonderfully put together, and entertained me from the beginning to end. It's not just a walking simulator... remember that.

My second monster hunter game and I was so happy at all the improvements. However, with just as many improvements, a few things kept it from being as smooth and as polished as possible. The map design, which was nothing really big in MH1, was pretty poor in a few of the areas (ANCIENT FOREST). Another very big issue I had was with the MMO-ness of it. THE INVESTIGATIONS WERE THE DEATH OF ME. Either i'm bad at searching my surrounding, or they purposefully make the monster tracks really hard to find. It took me like 2.5 hours to find the nergigante tracks.

I didn't finish all the monsters, but I did the main quest, and the main take away is that the devs really know how to make boss fights. All the choreographed moves from all the enemies feel perfect and refined. The combat is lucious and well thought out. The armor... actually works like armor which is a nice thing to see in a game.

While there are so many things I really like about the game, there are still weights that bog it down from being the refined/perfect experience it was trying to give.

I tortured myself for 40~ hours, here are all my problems:
-WAY TOO MANY CUTSCENES. MOST OF THE GAME IS A CUTSCENE. THIS ISN'T DEATH STRANDING.
- the combat is way too repetitive (sorry DMC fans) and it lacks any actual strategy
- the bosses were just way too easy, even on hard mode, and they were just HP dummies who i had to waste 5-15 mintues on.
- hard mode wasn't hard, it just felt like they gave the enemies more hit points
- the equipment and gear customization is way too bland
- the hideout areas/open areas are way too boring and just feel shitily put together
- there is no incentive for exploring.
- the characters are so underdeveloped (side point: a large part of the plot is legit just game of thrones)
- the story is actual dookie, with useless characters being brought up and killed, and villains who were never truly introduced being introduced out of nowhere
- deaths i feel no care for, like legit they just happen... like cmon now
- ending boss was wayyy too monotonous and boring, like the last 3-4 hours I just had to like resist not skipping the cutscenes.
- this feels like an average open world game from 2015... it's no longer 2015.
BRING BACK GOOD FINAL FANTASIES, THIS IS JUST MINDLESS COMBAT WITH A SHITTY STORY. THIS ISN'T WHAT I SPENT 70 DOLLARS FOR.

ok im editing this because I actually liked the cutscenes,,, like the fully CGI ones.